“And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land”” (Genesis 26:22).
Isaac inherited his father’s promise of abundance and blessing. He settled in Gerar where Abimelec was King and Isaac found favour and prospered in the land. “and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy” (Genesis 26:13). The Philistines became envious of Isaac because of how he prospered. Abimelec told Isaac to go away from among his people because Isaac seemed mightier than they.
Isaac moved away and dug wells to sustain his family and livestock. Each time Isaac dug a well, the men of Gerar would quarrel with Isaac’s labourers and say that the well belonged to them. Isaac did not fight back but would move away to another place and dug another well. It finally came to a point when Isaac dug a well where the men did not contend with him. At this point Isaac concluded that God had made room for him to prosper and be fruitful.
Eventually Abimelec made an oath with Isaac which stated that they would no longer contend with each other. Abimelec said to Isaac, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you” (Genesis 26:28).
There are seasons when we have experienced what felt like many delays and setbacks. The enemy cannot contend with us continually and I believe that in this season, God has made room for us to be fruitful and prosperous. The favour of God will be so evident and abundant in our lives that people who were once against us will want to endorse us.
“When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7).
“a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:19).
In Proverbs 6, Solomon spoke of attitudes which the Lord hates and seven which are an abomination to him. They include, a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plans wicked schemes, feet that are in a hurry to do wrong, a false witness who speaks lies and a person who creates disunity within a family or community. James also cautioned us about negative behaviours and warned against the consequences. “For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind” (James 3:16). Earlier in the chapter, James warned about taming our tongues, which is described as an unruly member of the body. Everything under the sun can be tamed, except the tongue which is like set ablaze like a wild fire. What disturbed James was that members of the church use their tongues to release both blessings and cursing.
“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:10). James spoke about having godly wisdom which required meekness. He warned against bitter jealousy and selfish ambition which sometimes led to lying. This kind of prideful behaviour was not characteristic of the wisdom from God, but was unspiritual and demonic. Where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder morally degrading practices. “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). The seed of righteousness is spiritual maturity is sown in peace by those who are peacemakers.
James continued to warn in chapter 4 against worldliness and strife. “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you” (James 4:1)? He said that when people had desires which were unfulfilled, they committed murder. Covetousness also led to fights and quarrelling. People were covetousness about things which they did not have because they didn’t pray and ask God to provide. Sometimes people do pray and ask God for material things, and didn’t receive at times because their desires for it wasn’t pure. James called for a separation from the world and secularism as a love of the world created a separation from God. God wants our hearts to remain pure so that the Holy Spirit can live in us. God has given us his grace to remain humble as God hates pride.
Both Solomon in the Old Testament and James in the New Testament, outlined attitudes and traits that are not pleasing to God. We are not perfect and we sometimes struggle with bitterness, resentment and forgiveness. The reality is that as long as we are alive, there is an opportunity for someone to offend us. Offence is a choice, it is a spirit and we choose whether or not to hold unto offences, grudges and ill feelings. Envy, pride, anger, arrogance, lying, slander, backbiting and malice are all evil works of the devil. When we experience offences, we need to pray for those who offend us and where possible speak the truth in love. God will not hear our prayers when we harbour bitterness in our hearts. We all have weaknesses and shortcomings and often fall short of the glory of God. As he is merciful and forgiving, we have to forgive others and continue to walk in love.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:7-8).
“The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man” (Psalm 115:16).
In Genesis during creation, God spoke to the earth and commanded it to bring forth vegetation, plants and fruits. The earth responded to the voice of God and yielded plants, vegetation and fruits with its seeds. God also spoke to the earth and commanded it to bring forth beasts, livestock and every creeping thing of its kind. God then created man in his own image and likeness, both male and female. “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7). God created a garden for man to live in and rivers also flowed out of the earth. “And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there” (Genesis 2:12). Man was placed in the garden to work and to keep it and was commanded not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
God caused Adam to sleep and from his rib, created the woman who Adam called bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. After the fall, Adam and Eve’s eyes were open and they were ashamed. God discovered their sin and as a consequence, the serpent was made to crawl on his belly and eat dust for the rest of his life. The punishment for man was that the ground was cursed and he would produce food with pain. He would have to work hard and sweat in order to eat, until he returned to the dust (earth), from which he was taken. Adam and Eve were driven from Eden and an angel was placed to stand guard at the entrance. They produced children and the first murder happened between their sons Cain and Abel. After Cain killed his brother, God asked about his whereabouts and Cain denied knowing where he was.
“And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). Cain was also cursed from the ground, which had opened its mouth to receive Abel’s blood. God promised that when Cain worked the ground, it would not yield its strength and he would be a fugitive and a wonderer on the earth. Cain lamented that his punishment was greater than he could bear, as God had driven him from the ground. He was also worried that someone would kill him because of his sin, but God promised to protect him. Later on in Genesis, God was sorry that he had made man because of the sin and wickedness on the earth. God flooded the earth and spared only Noah and his family who had found favour with him.
There are many references to the earth and the ground in Genesis and at other times in scripture, the earth is spoken of as an active participant in the creation and sustenance of life. We came from the earth as God commanded, including every living creature, plants and trees. Seeds that fall to the earth, die, regenerate and then come back to life. It’s interesting that people are buried when they die and reference is made in the bible to the earth giving up the dead. David also spoke of the earth yielding her increase as a blessing to God’s children. The earth belongs to God and its fullness and we can speak to the earth and command it to yield the blessing of Abraham to us. The earth has been given to us and we are no longer under the curse, but are the seed of Abraham. We command the earth to yield its strength to us and to produce a bountiful harvest.
“And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them” (Ezekiel 34:27).
“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”” (Mark 2:17).
In Mark 2, Jesus healed a paralytic man who was brought to him by his friends. He was teaching at his home and so many people gathered to hear him, that the door was blocked off. When the man’s friends realised that they could not get near Jesus, they removed the roof of the house and lowered him down. Jesus forgave the man of his sins and commanded him to arise, pick up his bed and return home. “And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this”” (Mark 2:12)! After he healed the man and finished teaching, he went near the sea and the people followed him. Jesus called Matthew who was sitting in a tax booth and he followed him.
He went to Matthews’s house for a meal and other tax collectors and sinners were there with him. The Scribes and Pharisees were puzzled about Jesus’s choice of company and grumbled about this. He heard their grumbling and said to them, that the healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick. In other words, he had not come to save those who were already righteous, but he came to save the sinners. Jesus experienced a lot of criticism during his ministry and the religious leaders of his time were unhappy with his methods. Of great concern to them were the people who Jesus chose as disciples. Matthew was a tax collector who would have betrayed his people to work for Rome and collect taxes.
At another point, Jesus went to Zacchaeus’s, house who was also a tax collector. Zacchaeus was intrigued by Jesus and climbed into a tree to get a good view of him. Jesus saw him and when he went to his home, Zacchaeus not only repented and was saved, but sold half his goods and fed the poor. He also pledged to repay anyone who he had defrauded fourfold. “And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”” (Luke 19:9-10). The people also grumbled about Jesus going to Zacchaeus’s home, as they viewed him as a sinner. He did not allow the opinions of others to stop him from doing the work of his father. Jesus focused on reaching those who were lost and in need of salvation and healing.
I once heard a minister say that God often deliberately places the righteous among the wicked. Most Christians think that the best thing is to be surrounded by other believers. Yes, it is important for believers to fellowship together to strengthen and encourage each other. There is also a mandate for us to be among the unsaved, in order to shine our light within the darkness. We are called to shine in our places of employment, schools, universities and communities. If Christians stay with each other and never associate with the unsaved, who will lead them to Christ? The friends were willing to sacrifice and go to great lengths to get their paralytic friend to Jesus. Not only was he healed, but his sins were forgiven. How far are we willing to go in order to win the lost for Christ? Ministry within the four walls is mostly preaching to the converted. There is a greater harvest field ready and waiting in the marketplace who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest”” (Matthew 9:37-38).
“You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place” (Deuteronomy 12:3).
During the Old Testament, the prophets built physical altars to offer sacrifices to God. “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him” (Genesis 12:7). Jacob built an altar in Bethel where God also appeared. “and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother” (Genesis 35:7). Jacob’s descendants ended up in Egypt after a famine and were later enslaved by the Egyptians. Moses was sent by God to deliver them and as they journeyed back to Canaan, God had specific instructions for their journey. He instructed them to tear down the altars built to other gods. Once Isreal entered Canaan, they drove out some of the inhabitants, but allowed others to remain.
They did not fully obey the voice of the Lord, but made covenants with the inhabitants of the land. “and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done” (Judges 2:2)? Due to their disobedience, God promised that the people would become a thorn in the flesh of Isreal. After Joshua died, the people did evil in the sight of the Lord and they served Baal and other gods. God gave them over to plunderers and they were sold out to their surrounding enemies as they could no longer withstand them. God eventually raised up judges to save them from the plunderers who lived around them. “But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways” (Judges 2:19).
Since the people tested God and constantly disobeyed him, he vowed not to drive out the nations that Joshua left when he died. This was to test them to see if they would walk in the way that their fathers did. God raised up Judges including Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Barak. Each of these judges served the Lord as prophets and military commanders to lead the people in battle against their enemies. Even after these judges, the people constantly rebelled against God and the Medianites oppressed them. In Judges 6, Gideon was called by God to save Isreal from the hand of Midian. After Gideon had tested God and received a sign that he was with him, God instructed him concerning the altars of Baal. “That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it” (Judges 6:25).
In its place, Gideon was instructed to build an altar to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice. In Christendom, we no longer build physical altars to pray to God, but we do pray, worship and offer sacrifices to God, which represents a spiritual altar. Anything that takes the place and time away from our devotion to God, becomes an idol and has its own spiritual altar. We have to pull down anything in our lives which takes away from our glory to God and replace this with true worship and devotion. It was interesting to see that when Gideon tore down the altar of Baal, he replaced it with an altar to God. We don’t need money to build an altar to God, but our prayers, worship and praise to God represents our sacrifice to him. Offering, tithes and seed sowing all forms part of our sacrificial giving to God, but this should not be demanded from people as payment for prayers or to build a prayer altar.
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us”(Ephesians 3:20).
Paul prayed for the saints in Ephesus to have spiritual strength. He wrote to the church about praying with his knees bowed to God our father. He prayed for the church to be strengthened in our inner man, by the Holy Spirit according to the glory of God. This strength would allow Christ to live in our hearts through faith, so that we would know how to live in love. Paul wanted the church to understand the depths of the love of Christ Jesus, which is beyond our human comprehension. This love was what led Christ to die for us on the cross to redeem us to God. He then spoke about God’s ability and desire to do way more for us, than we can even comprehend, more than we can even ask or think of. It’s because of God’s great power that we give him glory as a church from now until eternity.
Our prayers are often limited by what we can see and understand, based on our limited scope and understanding. God is all powerful, all knowing, omnipotent and omniscient. He created us and knows more about us than we even know about ourselves. God knows our beginning and he knows our ending, including the journeys that we will take. Because of God’s all surpassing knowledge, he understands much better than us, what blessings will truly create a meaningful and happy life for us. Many of us desired a thing, only to be disappointed when we gained it, because the happiness that we had attached to it, has not manifested. This is because our wisdom and understanding is limited to the scope of what we can see.
God is not limited and because he knows more than we do, he makes decisions that are best for us. Some of our prayers are delayed, some are not answered at all, because God has something greater in store. God alone knows the end result of a relationship that ended and we continued to grieve. God knows what’s behind a door that was closed and we grieved in disappointment. Trusting God requires childlike faith and confidence that he is a good father. God is not like earthly fathers who are prone to errors or mistakes. Many of us have great fathers, while some of us have fathers who haven’t quite lived up to our expectations. God is a good father and he cannot be tempted to do evil to us. When we trust him, stay in his will and listen to his voice, then he will lead and guide us.
Many children rebel because they don’t quite understand their parent’s instructions, or they view their discipline as harsh. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). None of us enjoyed being disciplined, but if we are honest, we can say that our parents discipline taught us many valuable life lessons. I want to encourage you to trust God today with your next steps. Trust him and do not lean on your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your way straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). God is doing something far greater than your eyes can see or your mind can understand. Trust him, wait patiently for him and believe that he has a good plan in store for you.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).
Yesterday we explored how fear can open a door, for the enemy to operate in the lives of people. Today we will look at the antidotes of fear, which is the perfect love of God and the truth of his word. John stated clearly that there is no fear in love and when we are perfected in love, it drives our fear. We fear when we do not fully understand the love of God and his love has not been perfected in us. Fear stems from the idea that God wants to punish us. Some major anxieties stem from the fear that may be God will not answer our prayers. The devil will whisper to someone who is depressed and say that God has forgotten them or does not love them. The spirit and the voice of condemnation comes from the devil and not from God.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The understanding that God does not condemn us brings us freedom. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). What Paul is saying is that a relationship with Christ and our understanding of who we are in him, sets us free from the fear of death. We have to know and understand the truth of the word in order to be set free from fear.
“and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). No one who spends enough time reading and understanding the truth of God’s word can be continuously bound by fear. When we read the word, understand the word and allow the truth of the word to sink into our hearts, then it will be hard for the devil to keep us bound by fear. “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). It is the darkness of misunderstanding that keeps people in fear. We cannot allow the devil to keep us in the darkness of fear.
Let us study the word to understand the love of Jesus Christ. If God did not spare his only son, but sent him into the world to die for us, this shows his everlasting love for us. No mistakes that we have made can keep us from the love of God. We don’t have to earn the love of God and if we understand just how much the father loves us, then we know that we have absolutely nothing to fear. “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
Devotional Inspirations 